A letter from government transparency organizations urges the Uniform Law Commission to prioritize the public’s right to know when it studies the redaction of personal information from public records. The June 17 letter was written by Sarah Brewerton-Palmer, legislative chair of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, and was edited and endorsed by Todd Fettig, the […]
Please save the dates for the 2022 FOI Summit: Oct. 18-20. This year’s summit will be online, similar to last year. Please watch this space for more details in the coming weeks. The NFOIC also soon will start accepting nominations for the State Open Government Hall of Fame. Please see eligibility details at this link. Read […]
Read More… from Save the dates for the 2022 FOI Summit, and watch this space for updates
David Cuillier, Ph.D.NFOIC Board President The National Freedom of Information Coalition’s fourth annual FOI research competition deadline for proposals will be extended two weeks, until May 20, to account for the continuing demands from the pandemic and other distractions. Winning papers in the competition earn cash awards, and authors of all accepted papers receive free registration to […]
Read More… from Deadline is extended to May 20 for NFOIC’s fourth annual FOI Research Competition
Public disclosure of tax subsidy programs is improving generally, but more than a third of state economic development agencies still keep deals secret as they lure big business. That’s according to an April 2022 study by Good Jobs First, which reported that 62% of agencies that administer business incentives disclose reasonable information about companies receiving […]
Read More… from Study finds more tax-subsidy transparency, but still ‘room for improvement’
By Lila GreenbergStudent research assistantBrechner Center for Freedom of Information at the University of Florida Michael McDermott is locked in a legal battle with the state of Virginia in his quest to publish overdose response incidents and shed light on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of state programs battling drug addiction. His efforts, he says, will […]
A New Jersey municipality that had sued an 82-year-old woman for seeking a “burdensome” number of public records has dropped its lawsuit, after a wave of media attention and backlash. Irvington Township in 2021 sued Elouise McDaniel for filing numerous requests under the state’s Open Public Records Act. “They were trying to intimidate Ms. McDaniel,” […]
The following note was sent March 24, 2022, to members of the National Freedom of Information Coalition. Dear coalition leaders and members: We write today with an update regarding the future operations of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, as it transitions from a university-supported organization funded by one or two large grants, to a […]
Read More… from NFOIC begins transfer of admin duties to Virginia coalition, renews focus on members
Government emails, metadata also top list of FOI-tech issues that leave us in the dark FOR RELEASE: March 14, 2022 Contact: Todd Fettig, NFOIC executive director Phone: 352-294-7082 Email: nfoic@nfoic.org March 14, 2022 — The public too often is being denied access to police body- and dash-cam footage. This ranks as the most critical […]
Read More… from Access to police-camera footage must improve, open-government advocates say
From “A mother’s quest for openness provides map for spurring change,” published March 1, 2022 in The Journal: A Civic Issues Magazine. “When Sheila Albers, of Kansas, couldn’t get answers to the questions she had after her 17-year-old son was shot and killed by an Overland Park police officer while the teen was in the […]
Powered by Bill Track 50, the National Freedom of Information Coalition and its members monitor transparency-related legislation in state legislatures. […]
